If you break your resolutions just a short time into the new year, you have company. There’s even a holiday for it on the second Friday of January: Quitters Day.
According to 2019 data from Strava, a social network for athletes, the second Friday of January is when New Year’s motivations begin to drop. And a 2023 YouGov poll found only 1 in 5 U.S. adults who set a New Year’s resolution stuck to it entirely by early February.
What’s to be done when you’ve busted your resolutions but you still want to make changes? First, be kind to yourself, says Ashlea McMartin, director of behavioral health at Sanford Health in Bemidji, Minnesota.
“When it comes to goals and changes, consider treating yourself and talking to yourself like a friend,” she said.
Simplify healthy choices: Take our New Year’s Resolution Quiz
Recognize that any goal – whether it’s weight loss or addiction recovery or improving your grades in school – means you are trying to do something different, and something different is going to take repetition and practice.
“Rarely would you stop cold turkey being their friend,” McMartin said. “Hopefully, you would celebrate their wins, give them grace and a hug during the struggles, and enjoy each moment in between with them. There isn’t a final destination with a friend. It’s about journeying together.”
Consider a Monday reset
Instead of looking at your resolutions as a sweeping year-long project, what if you concentrated on making healthy changes every Monday? That way, if you slip up and dive into the cookies in the break room at work, another chance to get it right is just a few days away.
It’s called the Healthy Monday Reset, and the idea is to send you into the week with a fresh mindset.
“What we really want people to do is implement a mindset change. If you think about the New Year’s resolution, you pick one day a year to start changes, and if you fall off the wagon, it’s another year,” explained Ron Hernandez, the managing director of The Monday Campaigns.
“But with Monday, you have 52 opportunities in a year. If you fall short one week, there’s always an opportunity right around the corner, so you don’t have to wait that long to make a change,” he said.
This, Hernandez added, is something you can really integrate: “Monday, I will make better choices.”
A study conducted with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that people often describe Monday as the day they are seeking out health information.
“Monday becomes a cue, and if you start off the week well, you’re more likely to keep going through the rest of the week,” he said.
Maybe your resolutions are too complicated
Sanford Sports dietitians have three simple suggestions for athletes and anyone looking for a healthy start to the new year. They focus on:
- Prioritizing hydration. This might seem too easy, but many people (athletes included) fail to drink enough water.
- Getting enough sleep. Sleep is the time when your body works on recovery. It can also affect your hunger signals so poor sleep habits can lead to weight gain.
- Developing healthy eating strategies. Emphasize breakfast, healthy snacks, and added fruits and vegetables.
Get your whole family involved
Kids can be powerful motivators, and they can develop healthy lifestyles right along with you. Sarah Paur, a Sanford Health pediatric nurse practitioner in Fargo, North Dakota, offers these suggestions for getting started:
- Be active with them! Be the example.
- Evaluate their current activity and gradually increase in minutes per day over time.
- Limit screen time and set boundaries for sedentary lifestyles.
- Encourage them to try group activities to find something they enjoy, such as soccer, dance, track, gymnastics or swimming.
- Consider individual activities like hiking, skiing or running.
“Simply playing in the park or outside with friends is also a great way to fit in exercise for the day,” Paur said.
More New Year’s inspiration
Sanford Health offers more tips for turning your health goals into habits:
- Quit smoking or using tobacco
- Try sober curiosity
- Practice mindfulness or start a self-care routine for mental health
- Get better sleep
- Keep your brain sharp
- Visit your primary care provider regularly
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Posted In Behavioral Health, Bemidji, Fargo, Healthy Living, Nutrition, Sanford Sports, Sports Medicine, Weight Loss
